Configuring the system

You now have a fully patched operating system, with new software installations and updates managed via Adept
and Automatix. It's time for some final polishing.

Graphic card drivers

I have found dozens of guides, how-tos and tips referring to the installation of the graphic cards. Some are
well written; others less so. Sincerely, I cannot recommend any of them, because the individual tweaks written
in each one of them may not apply to your system and could only contribute to confusing you. For this reason, I
will not link to any specific source explaining the below procedures. I have tested the Nvidia setup without a
glitch. I did not have the opportunity to test the ATI drivers.

Before you install your graphic drivers, backup your existing X Windows configuration. This way, if something
goes wrong, you will be able to get back to your original configuration by copying back the file.

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11.xorg.conf_backup

Nvidia drivers

If you have an Nvidia graphic card, open a Terminal and type the following commands:

sudo apt-get install nvidia-glx
sudo nvidia-glx-config enable

Reboot. You should see the Nvidia splash screen during the reboot. You can also use Automatix to install the
drivers.

After installing the graphic drivers, you might want to change the screen resolution and the refresh rate.
Unfortunately, unlike SUSE, (K)ubuntu does not have an elegant way of achieving that.

To change the screen resolution and/or the refresh rate, please refer to the guide on Ubuntu forums. Very importantly, do not forget to
test your new settings before
applying the changes - you may lose the screen or even damage the monitor.

Installation from repositories

Alternatively, you can use the Package Manager to install the graphic drivers. This way, you will not have to
reinstall the drivers after a kernel update.

Installation via automated script

Finally, you can also try Alberto Milone's envy
package, which will detect the model of the graphic card, download the right version, build the necessary
dependecies, install the driver, and setup the X Server. The package works for the Nvidia and ATI cards.

Sharing the Internet connection

If the computer with Kubuntu installed on it functions as Internet gateway for several other machines, you
might like to enable other computers to connect to the Internet through it. You should try the How to share Internet connection guide on Ubuntu
forums. You could also try to setup the sharing on your own using the System Settings.

K Menu > System Settings > Internet & Network > Sharing

Basically, this should not be significantly different from setting up a sharing in Windows. You should also
refer to my article called Highly Useful Linux commands & configurations;
among many other things, sharing of network resources between Windows and Linux and vice versa is explained in
detail there.

Other system configurations

You will be able to tweak your operating system by accessing System Settings
under K Menu. This panel will allow you to change your personal, hardware or
administrative preferences. It is very similar to the Control Panel in Windows or YaST in SUSE. Once again,
some basic knowledge in working with other operating systems will greatly help you become quickly accustomed to
Kubuntu.

Transition from Windows to Linux

One of the questions that most Windows users ask when trying Linux is: "Will my Windows stuff work?" Usually,
they refer to audio and video codecs, flash, java, and similar content. The answer is that all these can very
easily be obtained and installed.

Here are a few guidlines that will make your transition so much smoother:

Whatever your dilemma is, someone has already had it before. You should use search engines to find the
right answers to your problems, quickly and efficiently. Writing something like "ubuntu windows codecs" in the
search field of one of the popular search engines (e.g. Google) will yield the required answers.

You should frequent the Ubuntu forums; the forums are a superb
source of help, knowledge and inspiration.

Let's see how you can quickly and painlessly obtain your favorite Windows toys. The examples below are taken
from the Unofficial Starter Guide. They require the use of the command line, but you should be confident enough
by now.

The backslash indicates that the command continues in the line below. If you are not comfortable with such
lengthy commands, you can install each of the codecs separately.

Installing Sun J2SE Java Runtime Environment (JRE)

sudo apt-get install sun-java5-jre sun-java5-plugin

You will have to agree to license terms. Upon installation, you will need to configure the plugin to be used as
the default Java Virtual Machine.

sudo update-alternatives --config java

Installing Macromedia Flash Player for Firefox

sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree
sudo update-flashplugin

The list goes on and on. Simple instructions for the installation of IM, chat, P2P, multimedia players, and
many other useful applications can all be found in the Starter Guide.

Most common applications

Going over the entire repertoire of goodies is almost impossible, but some applications merit a special
mention. As a new Kubuntu user, you will probably wonder what programs you should use and what they offer,
especially in regard to your familiar Windows turf.

Below is a very, very short list of some of the more popular KDE applications. Depending on your installation,
some of these might (or might not) be installed. But they can easily be obtained, either from home sites or via
the package manager.

Amarok - this is a light, simple, beautiful, and highly versatile for
Linux running KDE; natively, it does not support MP3 format, but the necessary libraries can easily be added -
for example, in Ubuntu or SUSE, via package managers - libxine-extracodecs.

Kate
No, you guessed wrong; it is not a Japanese WW2 torpedo bomber. It is a very powerful text editor.

Kino - this advanced video editor allows integration with
IEEE-1394 for capture, VTR control, an ability to capture video in Raw DV and AVI formats, with doth type-1 and
type-2 DV encodings, an ability to export composite movies in still frames, WAV, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, and many
other formats.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. You can refer to Kubuntu Desktop Guide for detailed
explanation how to use and configure the KDE desktop. In particular, Chapter 4. Common Tasks,
contains a wealth of information regarding the KDE applications, including music, video, CD/DVD burning and
ripping, graphics, Internet, Office, Programming, and more.

Finally, you should also read my article called A (cool) list of Linux
tools. It contains links to a variety of Linux programs, sorted by categories, including many KDE
applications (some of them already mentioned above). Each listed item is accompanied by a short explanation
regarding its basic functionality. There is also a users' corner, with suggestions from my readers.

Conclusion

That pretty much covers the basics. If you have followed this guide, with some luck, you have by now
mastered: How to install (K)ubuntu Linux; How to configure Internet connection (+ firewall), system updates and
software installations; How to use command line interface to edit configuration files and install packages; How
to install and configure the graphic card drivers and setup your display; How to share your Internet connection
with other computers.

Moreover, as you can clearly see from this article: Kubuntu installation is fast, smooth and easy - just as
easy if not easier than Windows; Kubuntu is very friendly and intuitive, not much different from Windows in its
overall layout; Configuration of basic functions takes very little effort and is not that different from Windows
drivers or program setups; Help sources are thoroughly documented and if followed to the word offer a very
accurate and effective solution to all possible problems; Kubuntu is very similar to SUSE Linux with KDE desktop.
Mastering one will greatly help you get quickly familiarized with the other; basic concepts are very similar and
they apply almost universally for all Linux distributions.

Kubuntu is a compact, robust operating system that is well suited for the beginner-level users. It is a great
tool for getting starting with Linux, learning the basic concepts and overcoming the fear of the dreadful *nix
world. The rest is up to you.